Index



UNITE o ALLEN XV. JOHNSTON, OF PALATINE BRIDGE, NEW YORK.

INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,744, dated November 24, 1 891. Application iiled August 5, 1891. Serial No.401,'778. (No modeli) To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN \V. JOHNSTON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Palatine Bridge, Montgomery county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Index, of which the following is a specifica-4 tion.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for retaininglthe names and number of page of ledger accounts in book-keeping; and the object of my invention is to provide a mechanical arrangement ofthe name and ledger paging of each of the customers of a business house insuch a manner that they may be readily ascertained without opening a book for that purpose, and which will greatly expedite the posting of the journal entries in book-keeping. I attain this obj ect-by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a section along the lines I I on Fig. 2. Fig. 4shows my cylinder arranged to revolve in a horizontal plane. Fig. 5 is a detail plan of the device for fastening the cardsto the cylinder, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the card-fastening device.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In posting accounts from the journal into the ledger it is customary for the book-keeper to write the number of the page of the ledger to which the account is to be posted immediately preceding each journal entry and then to turn to the page of theledger indicated by the journal and there enter the amount ofthe journal entry, checking o each entry as ii is posted. In order to obtain the ledgerpaging of each journal entry, it is necessary to use both hands in opening the ledger and turning to the index-letter and scan perhaps apage or more of names in order to find the one sought for.

It is the purpose of my invention to so arrange the names of the ledger accounts and their pages that it willbe unnecessary to take the hand containing the pen away from the journal entry in order that as soon as the eye catches the name of the account and its page the writing hand will be in place to record it on the journal, inthis manner saving a great deal of time and inconvenience. For this purpose I provide a cylinder A, which is constructed of card-board or wood or any suitable substance, and which has at or near the center of one end a square opening, admitting of the passage of a bolt B. The cylinder A, I place upon the carrying-table O, which is also provided near its center with a square opening, through'which the boltB passes. Along the under surface of the carrying-table O, I place at convenient intervals the knobs D. The bolt B, passing through the end of the cylinder A and also through the carryingtable C, is squared along that portion thereof which is in contact with the cylinder and the carrying -table The rest of the bolt B is rounded and passes into the bearing-support.

The bolt B revolves freely within the bearing-support E. The supportE just below the end of the bolt B is provided with a hinge H, by means of which the upper portion of the support E may be moved about the hinge II, giving the cylinder resting on the carryingtable O a rocking motion, enabling it to be placed in a tilted position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In order to hold thesupport E open and the cylinder thrown back in a tilted position, as shown .by dotted lines in Fig. 2, I place a set-screw S, which operates in a catch I, ate tach'ed to the support E, and comes into contact with a semicircular strip J, attached to the lower part of the support E, as shown in Fig. 2. By this means the support E may be opened or closed, as desired,'and may be held in the position to which it is advisable to place the cylinder A. It is apparent that the cylinder may be caused to revolve by a slight movement of the hand brought in contact with the knobs D on the under portion of the carrying-table C, the bolt B being securely attached to the cylinder and carrying-table C, but freely revolving in the bearing-support E.

The surface of the cylinder contains inA larged in size from the others, so as to attract the eye at once. The names on the cylinder IOO may be written upon the surface of the cylinder, in which case the surface of the cylinder is covered with a cloth provided with a slate finish-such as silicated cloth-and from which the pencil-writing may be erased. I also provide, however, for a means of placing small strips of card, upon which may be printed with the typewriter or written, as desired, the name and page of the ledger account. The card may be covered at one end with a paper having a slate finish, in order that the page may be erased therefrom when desired, and which may be placed on the surface of the cylinder in its proper column and removed therefrom when desired. One method of accomplishing this object I have shown in the accompanying drawings. (See Figs. 5 and (i.) I place two strips L and M, which may either be of wood or metal, extending from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, the one over the other. The strip M, which rests upon the strip L, is provided at frequent'intervals with a perforation through which one end of the spring-hook N passes, the hook N being a piece of wire or other suitable metal bent in such a manner as to have two ends nearly parallel with each other, the one extending below the strip M and in contact with the strip L, the other pressing against the opposite surface of the strip M. The strips L and M are secured at frequent intervals from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, a pair of the strips L and M being on each side of each column of the names, and the cards containin the names and pages of the ledger accounts are placed in the hook N and held firmly in position, as shown in Fig. l.

Instead of having two strips L and M, I sometimes arrange a strip along` the interior of the drum and place perforations through the drum, through which perforations I introduce the hooks N in the same manner as already described, the end of the hook N resting against the surface of the cylinder instead of against the strip M, the opposite end of the hook N pressing against the strip on the interior surface of the cylinder corresponding to the strip L, already described.

I have described the drum upon which the names and pages of the ledger accounts are to be placed as being of cylindrical form; but I do not mean to limit myself to that particular form of a drum, since the same result would be obtained by makingthe drum of the form of an Octagon or hexagon or other departure from the true cylinder; nor do I mean to limit myself to the described method of securing the strips of card containing the names of the ledger accounts to the drum, since these cards may be secured thereto by means of suitable pins or other well-known contrivances and the same result would be obtainedynor do I mean to limit myself to the exact method of securing my cylinder to the bolt or pin upon which it revolves, since it could be readily arranged to revolve without the carrying-table C and in a different arrangement of the pivot-bolt l5. My indexcylinder could also be placed in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 4, having a suitable bolt or pin V in each end journaled in suitable supports T; but

XVhat I do claim my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In an index, the combination of a drum placed upon a carrying-table and a bolt passing through the end of said drum and carrying-table and movable in a suitable bearing, said bearing provided with a hinge and means for adjusting the bearing, substantially as dcscribed, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an index, the combination of a drum, one end provided with an opening through which a bolt passes, a carrying-table, a bolt passing from one end of the drum to the carrying-table, and a bearing in which said bolt revolves, said drum provided with the names and numbers of pages along its exterior surface, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an index, the combination of a drum, an opening in one end thereof, acarrying-table upon which said drum rests, a bolt passing through said opening in the end of the drum and through an opening in the carrying-table, a bearing in which said bolt revolves, andalong the surface of said drum two parallel strips, one above the other, secured to said drum, with hooks placed in contact with said strips at frequent intervals, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an index, the combination of a druln provided with a series of hooks in parallel columns, a series of cards containing the name and page of ledger accounts placed in said hooks, and a bolt in the end of said drum, upon which the drum revolves, all substan tially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In anindex, the combination of arevolving drum with suitable bearing in which said drum revolves, said bearing provided with a means for adjusting the drum at an angle to the-perpendicular, said drum having its surface arranged into columns, and a series of names and numbers of pages of ledger accounts in said column, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

ALLEN W. JOHNS'ION.

lVitnesses:

FREDERICK W. CAMERON, GRACE S. MANY.

IOO

ITO 

